Bottle disposal receiver



June 12, 1951 A. c. KOHL BOTTLE DISPOSAL RECEIVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 26, 1945 INVENTOR. @2960! 6.250%

June 12, 1951 A. c. KOHL 2,557,001

BOTTLE DISPOSAL RECEIVER Filed Nov. 26, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [N V EN TOR.

5W6, M1 W'wa Patented June 12, 1951 BOTTLE DISPOSAL RECEIVER Alfred C. Kohl, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Kohl Bottle Receiving Company, Milwaukee, Wis, a

partnership Application November 26, 1945, Serial No. 630,802

My invention relates to a bottle receiver for receiving empty bottles at a point of congestion and removing them to a receptacle located at a distance therefrom in which they may be temporarily accumulated and stored.

In the operation of taverns, soft drink establishments or the like, particularly during busy periods, a large number of empty bottles accumulate behind the bar, and clutter up the small space usually available, so that it is desirable to sorted and disposed of.

Another objectof my invention is to provide a bottle handling device, which comprises a receiving device for the bottles located at one point, a collecting tray located at a more remote point, and a conveyor mechanism for transferring bottles from the receiving device to the collecting tray.

Another object of my invention is to provide a bottle handling device for transferring bottles from one point to another which is so constructed that the bottles will be handled without breakage.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the preferred form of my device, which is shown, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view showing my bottle receiver in elevation, with parts thereof broken away;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of a portion of my bottle receiver;

Fig. 3 is a view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line d4 of Fig. 3, to an enlarged scale; and

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 55 of Fig. 3, to an enlarged scale.

My bottle receiving apparatus, which is illustrated in the drawings, comprises a bottle receiving tube It, which is located back of a bar, or the like, from which a conduit or chute II extends beneath the floor I2 to a relatively large, generally horizontal, two-stage conveyor I3, at the other end of which there is provided a cylindrical receiving tray or collecting receptacle I4 and a small depositing conveyor IS. The empty bottles are dropped in the receiving tube I0, pass through the conduit II to the conveyor I3 and thence to the pivoted conveyor I5 and are collected in the receiving tray I4.

3 Claims. (Cl. 19847) The bottle receiving tube In, which is placed at the point where the bottles tend to accumulate, is provided with a top cover member l6, which is pivotally mounted thereon at I! and connected, by means of a link I8, to a foot treadle [3. The U-shapedfoot treadle I9 is pivoted at 20 to brackets 2I at the base of the tube It. The operation of the foot treadle I9 pivots the top cover It about the pivot I! so that empty bottles may be dropped therein.

An aperture 22 is provided in the floor I2 beneath the tube It) and the chute I! is connected in alignment therewith by means of the brackets 23, or the like, to provide a passageway for the bottles. The chute II is curved so that the bottles are delivered on approximately a horizontal level, the lower end of the chute being supported on the hanger 24. The chute II may be of any appropriate material such as metal, rubber or the like which is sufliciently rigid and which will not result in breakage of the bottles as they pass through the same and the top of the curved portion of the same may be open. A stiff bumper gate 25 is pivotally mounted at 23 adjacent the discharge end of the chute II to arrest travel of the bottles at that point.

The endless conveyor I3 is provided with a horizontal portion 2'6 and a downwardly inclined portion 23, and comprises a canvas pocket member 23 supported between parallel rope members 33 by means of spaced metal straps 3|. The parallel rope members 30 are supported on end pulley members 32 and 33-. The upper pulley member 32 is supported in bearings 34 mounted on the hanger 24, thus locating the receiving end of the conveyor I3 beneath the discharge end of the chute II. The path provided by the conveyor is changed from the horizontal direction to a downwardly inclined direction by means of guide pulleys 35 journaled on the hanger 36. A pivoted drag or flap 3? is provided on an extension 38 of the chute I I to insure that the bottles are in a horizontal position on the conveyor I3 as they move away from the discharge end of the chute I I. At the point where the conveyor changes from the horizontal to the downwardly inclined path a curved cover or drag member 39 is pivoted at 53 to the hanger 36 to help keep the bottles on the conveyor. The discharge end of the conveyor is supported on the lower pulley members 33 which are mounted in spaced relation on a shaft 4i supported in bearing members 42 on the upright frame 43. A roller member 33 is rotatably mounted on the shaft M between the pulley members 33 and functions as. a kicker for transferring the bottles from conveyor I3 to conveyor I5, as the conveyor members move around the pulley membottles are transferred to the receiving tray l4 by means of the conveyor l5, which comprises a frame, consisting of side plates 44 and end pulleys 45 and 46, the upper end of the plates 44 being rotatably mounted on the drive shaft 41 which is located adjacent the discharge end of the conveyor l3 and supported in the bearing brackets 48 mounted on the upright frame 43. The pulley 46 is journaled between the lower end of the side plates 44 while the pulley 45 is secured to the drive shaft 41. Carried on the pulleys 45, 46 are tapes 49 one of which has spaced fingers 50 thereon. The lower free end of the conveyor 15 is provided with a receiving platform having a curved side rail 52 and a canvas apron 53. A counterweight 54 is mounted on the one end of a bar 55, pivoted at 56 on a bracket 57 which is supported on the top of the upright frame 43. A link 58 pivotally connects the other end of bar 55 to the plates 44 at 59 intermediate their ends. The free end of the conveyor is normally positioned adjacent the bottom of the receptacle I4. The counterweight arrangement is provided so that as the bottles accumulate in the receptacle and push up the free end of the conveyor I5 the latter will move upwardly without any appreciable resistance, and breakage of the bottles will be avoided. A curved guard member 90 is provided on the conveyor 15 to keep the tapes 49 free of bottles as they pile up in the receptacle E4.

The receptacle I4 is mounted on a shaft 6| which is provided with a bevel gear 52 cooperating with a bevel gear 63 on the laterally directed shaft 64 which carries a driving pulley 65 on its outer end. The shaft 94 is rotatably supported in bearing brackets 96 mounted on the platform or supporting frame 67. The platform 67 is connected at 68 to the vertical frame 43.

The endless conveyor I3, the transfer or depositing conveyor i5, and the rotatable receptacle E4, are all driven by means of a motor 99 provided with a pulley 70 which is connected by a belt H to the pulley 72 on the drive shaft 47. The drive shaft 41 is provided with a gear 13 cooperating with gear 14 on the shaft 4| to drive the pulley 33 and operate the conveyor 13. The shaft 4'! is provided with a pulley 15 which is connected by a belt 16 to the pulley 65 to rotate the receptacle 14 by means of the shaft 64 and cooperating gears 62 and 63. The rotation of the shaft 41 operates the conveyor 15, pulley 45 being keyed to the shaft.

A switch H is provided on the bottle receiver and is connected by means of a link 78 to the foot treadle [9. The switch 77 controls the starting and stopping of the motor 69, so that, upon depressing the treadle 19 to open the tube ID for the reception of a bottle, the switch is? operated to start the motor 69 and operate the drive mechanisms for the conveyors l3 and I5 and the receptacle l4. A tension spring 19 is provided to normally hold the foot treadle in inoperative position.

While I have referred to specific details of construction and materials in describing my device, it will be understood that other details of construction and other materials may be resorted to within the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a device of the type described, a' bottle receiving tube havin a pivoted cover member, a chute having a laterally extending end connected to the bottom thereof, an endless conveyor having a receiving end adjacent the discharge end of said chute, said conveyor provided with a horizontal portion and a downwardly inclined portion, a rotatable receiving tray below the discharge end of said conveyor, a discharging conveyor having one end pivoted adjacent the discharge end of the downwardly inclined portion of said first conveyor and the other end vertically movably positioned above the receiving tray, drive means for operating the conveyors and rotating the receiving tray, switch means adjacent said bottle receiving tube for controlling the drive means, and treadle operated means adjacent said bottle receiving tube for operating said switch means and pivoting said cover member.

2. In a device of the type described, a generallyvertical and normally closed bottle receiving tube, a chute connected to the bottom of said receiving tube and having a laterally extending lower end, an endless conveyor having a receiving end at the lower end of said chute, said conveyor provided with a horizontal 'portion and a downwardly inclined portion, a rotatable receiving tray below the lower end of said inclined conveyor portion, a discharging conveyor having one end pivoted adjacent the lower end of said inclined conveyor portion and the other end vertically movably positioned above said receiving tray, drive means for operating the conveyors and for rotating the receiving tray, switch means adjacent said bottle receiving tube for controlling said drive means, and manually operated means adjacent said bottle receiving tube for simultaneously opening said tube and operating said switch means.

3. In a bottle handling device, a generally vertical and normally closed bottle receiving tube, a bottle collecting receptacle located at a lower level and laterally spaced from said tube, means for conveying the bottles from said tube to said collecting receptacle comprising a chute having a laterally extending lower end connected to the bottom end of said bottle receiving tube, an endless conveyor having a receiving end adjacent the lower end of said chute, said conveyor having a downwardly inclined portion terminating adjacent the collecting receptacle, a discharge conveyor having one end pivotally supported adjacent the lower end of said endless conveyor, the free end of said discharge conveyor being movably positioned in the receptacle, said discharge conveyor being provided with a counterweight arranged to gradually raise the free end of the same as the bottlesaccumulate in said collecting receptacle, drive means for rotating said collecting receptacle and for driving said conveyors, a switch means for controlling said drive means and means at said bottle receiving tube for simultaneously opening said tube and operating said switch means.

' ALFRED C. KOHL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 17,769 Morris Aug. 12, 1930 1,426,379 Hadaway Aug. 22, 1922 2,120,506 ORourke June 14, 1938 2,296,444 Kohl et al Sept. 22, 1942 

